Son

 Son on Shudder starts off super interesting. A cult enters a young boys room(Luke David Blumm from King of Staten Island) so his mom(Andi Matichak) tries to convince the cops(Emile Hirsh) that she wasn't hallucinating. Soon it seems the hospital is in on the cult so she splits town and enters the underbelly or hookers, motels and the occult. It sounds interesting but the pacing is off and the plot begins to wear thin. Hirsh, Blumm, and Matichak all do solid acting and the idea of what is real and what isn't is a good plot device but the ingredients don't add up. It has a great twist at the end but i honestly just wanted to fall asleep.

The Tomorrow War

 Yikes. What feels like a mid 00s sci fi film is a 20s film purchased by Amazon. A streamer pumping out another film that i am glad i didn't see in theatres. I used to see everything new(well i still do) but after the past year i know that seeing everything in theatres is behind me, atleast when it comes to sci fi. Sci fi has become over produced, overly long and repetitive and dull. Which is this. Chris Pratt is charismatic but add this to Passengers as far as total misses. This feels like Captive State crossed with Edge of Tomorrow only not as good as either....and Captive State wasn't very good either. Had this gone to theatres last year and covid not happened then it would have been an experience in Imax or Dolby but that is like adding poo pouri to a steaming pile of shit.....well in actuality it isn't a steaming pile of shit cause the action scenes are entertaining but fuck if it doesn't feel like a fly by night Playstation game that you loved for one summer then never played again.   

Awake

 Awake seemed like your fly by night Netflix flick but the fact that it was helmed by Mark Raso made me invested. I loved Kodachrome so anticipated this greatly. It would honestly make a good double bill with Bird Box Gina Rodriguez and her family on the run for salvation since her daughter is the only person that can sleep. Great premise, starts off well, ends in a creative way and has some good turns in the middle but the plot is a bit cluttered and alot of the acting is quite wooden. It feels very Netflix, for better or worse but it isn't the genre film nor the Raso film i wanted. 

F9

 So i haven't been to the theatre since Bloodshot with Vin Diesel in March 2020, my first time back was today with Vin Diesel in the ninth Fast & the Furious. The theatre still looked the same but felt different, gone was the box office, and the lights were dimmer but it was still quite surreal being back. As far as the flick goes, going in to these flicks you should know what to expect. They have become espionage flicks, they add in elements of sci fi, and they drive fast cars. It brings in old characters, old villains, new characters and even has plenty of flashbacks. It kind of merges the world of the first 4 with the last 4 & spin off. Much like the 8th, Charlize Theron steals the show. 

Fear Street 1994

 I vaguely remember reading some of the Fear Street books but they didn't stick with me as much as Goosebumps. I was indifferent to the announcement of the Netflix movies but thought the trailer was great, luckily the film knocks it out. This is a fast paced, fun as fuck supernatural slasher with an amazing soundtrack that oozes atmosphere. Set in the 90s it captures the teen tropes from horror films of the time perfectly but meshes it with a sense of wonderment ala It or Stranger Things. I feel this will get alot of watches from people around Halloween, and rightfully so. Netflix might produce too many flicks a year but if they do these every year then i am all for it. Can't wait for the second one next week. 

In The Heights

 In the Heights, from the writer of Hamilton, is another film full of great songs. It is also from the director of Crazy Rich Asians, and it is very charming much like that film. Likable characters, great choreography and a love of New York and community. The flaws here though is the pacing. At one point i thought "damn this is fast paced" then i saw that it was only 45 minutes into a 143 minute film. The plot has heart but feels a bit empty and contrived. I didn't hate it by any means i just was tired of it early on.

Vicious Fun

 Vicious Fun is indeed a vicious flick and it is super fun. The tale of a horror magazine writer stuck with a group of serial killers is a bit similar to Murder Party, and now i just want this as a double feature. It feels like Murder Party crossed with Guns Akimbo, i could even see Samara Weaving starring in this. Fast paced, dark humored, colorful, full of horror love, and oozing blood, this is easily the best Shudder flick since The Mortuary Collection.